Mineral, End Serenading made me cry and reminded me of Pittsburgh. I also listened to The Arcade Fire, Funeral because it had been a while.

The C on my keyboard is grabbing for its last chance at life, but I keep squashing this when I pound away. I'm sorry, C. Perhaps I will take you to the men in white (The Apple Store). I really should because then I will have to copy and paste your bitch ass.

After a tiring weekend and a Starbucks shift still to go, I'm beat. But, I can still muster enough energy to throw some hefty, fulfilling meat in your direction. Today, I also have my good friend Coran Stetter from Sayonara Tiger joining me with a couple recommendations.

Self Against City - "Tequila Moonlight" is crack - pure, addictive-as-fuck crack. The Dangerous Summer - A newer four-piece from the greater Baltimore area. There's a certain Midwest touch, straying away from a pop-rock that is more pop than actual rock with TDS, and it reminds me that hooks and a great catch doesn't have to sound like BSB v2.0.

Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas - For those that enjoy collections of pieces, Klosterman clumps some his best and cutting sharp wit into one book, snippets of fiction, non, and the in between.

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Well, hello people of AP.net! First I want to thank Julia for inviting me to rec with her as I am a huge fan of AbsolutePunk and this is definitely an honor for me! Anyway I have some really awesome bands I think you should all check out.

Ellison - My hometown Cincinnati boys are wrapping up tour with Faulter and Jet Lag Gemini. If you are on the east coast hopefully you caught one of these shows. If not, make sure to pick up Ellison’s record in stores EVERYWHERE!

Chin Up Chin Up - Chicago indie-pop you can’t help but dance to yet these guys have a sound all their own. Super catchy vocals and a record put out by probably my favorite record label right now: Suicide Squeeze (Minus The Bear, Metal Hearts).

Hello Lobster - So I found this band on accident but their music gets stuck in my head so easily that I have to listen to OTHER music just to get Hello Lobster out...in a good way. Check out the music video for "Cntrl Alt Delete."

Stars of Track and Field - Postal Service meets As Tall As Lions. One of the first records in a long time I can listen to from start to finish. They recently signed a deal with the label that made Creed huge and just played an outstanding performance on Conan O’Brien. You should probably start digging SOTAF now so you can have street cred when Lamey Lamerson at your school is sporting a SOTAF tee.

Finally, there are A TON of great bands writing or recording new albums that should be released in 07 like The Jealous Sound, Tokyo Rose, Emanuel, Just Surrender, and Houston Calls. While you wait in suffocating anticipation for the amazing new records, make sure to check out their previous releases because they are totally boss.

I have decided that I do, in fact, like free things. And that I will most likely accept them when given the opportunity.

I have also decided that I do, in fact, really like the new Brand New, but I need at least a week break from it. It hurts my head. I also really like Faulter's Darling Buds Of May, and it feels damn sexy to really, heart first and mind second, enjoy an album. Besides the new Piebald and Band of Horses, I haven't been too impressed. The again, I'm a sucker for my full discos, and I have to remind myself to listen to new music. Maybe I'm a little late to the game, but Moneen's The Red Tree is pretty glorious. Eh, I think I'm just trying to find my best of 2006 list. It's fucking hard, really, to pick ten albums that are better than anything else, because, truthfully, I'm an elitist. But not a people elitist but a collection elitist. An addiction perhaps, but I can't help but step back to my favorites. Right now, I've been pumping the good 'ol JEW, the Hey Mercedes and Hot Rod discos, and some pre-Love Juliana Theory. And some sweet Brand New rarities I DL'd from the Interweb. I MUST FORCE MYSELF TO LISTEN TO NEW MUSIC. NEW MUSIC. NEW MUSIC. You'd figure, working here, that I would be more open-minded. I'm just stuck in the past.